Tarik Skubal is pitching so well that it is getting increasingly difficult for his peers to keep pace.
He sits atop the MLB odds to win the AL Cy Young. Three others are drawing odds at 6/1 or shorter, but the gap seems to be widening.
Let's take a look at the Cy Young odds board as the contenders are starting to take shape.
Odds to win AL Cy Young award 2025
| Player |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Tarik Skubal |
+180 | +160 | +180 |
 Garrett Crochet |
+380 | +450 | +400 |
 Hunter Brown |
+550 | +550 | +550 |
 Max Fried |
+600 | +550 | +550 |
 Nathan Eovaldi |
+1400 | +1400 | +1200 |
| Jacob deGrom |
+1600 | +1800 | +1600 |
 Cole Ragans |
+2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
 Pablo Lopez |
+3500 | +4000 | +3500 |
| Framber Valdez |
+4000 | +6000 | +4000 |
 Bryan Woo |
+4500 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Joe Ryan |
+5500 | +6000 | +6000 |
| Tyler Mahle |
+5500 | +6000 | +5000 |
| Carlos Rodon |
+6500 | +5000 | +6000 |
| Kris Bubic |
+6500 | +5000 | +6000 |
| Logan Gilbert |
+6500 | +7000 | +6000 |
Odds as of 5-13-2025.
AL Cy Young odds analysis
Is Tarik Skubal pulling away? In his second start of the season, the Detroit Tigers ace issued three walks over 5 2/3 innings and allowed three earned runs. Well, that blip in command seems to be in the past.
Tarik Skubal’s last 6 starts:
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 10, 2025
5️⃣0️⃣ strikeouts. 1️⃣ walk. pic.twitter.com/7D84RjzOJb
One walk in 37 innings. Oh, and he's allowed two or fewer earned runs in all six starts, surrendering ZERO on three occasions. He has a 0.97 ERA with 50 strikeouts in that time.
And it's not like Garrett Crochet has been bad! After allowing four runs over five innings to the Mariners in late April, he's surrendered four earned runs in his last 19 innings. It's just not Skubal.
But we can't ignore Hunter Brown, Max Fried, or Nathan Eovaldi, all of whom have ERAs below 2.00. Brown leads all MLB pitchers in FanGraphs WAR (2.1). Eovaldi is next at 1.9 (same as Skubal) and has truly dialed in his command. Eovaldi hasn't issued a ton of walks in recent years, but he's found a new level of pinpoint accuracy in 2025, leading MLB with a minuscule 2.4% walk rate.
Fried's WAR is 1.3, which New York Yankees fans may point to as evidence of the metric's failings considering he is 6-0 with a 1.05 ERA. He overperforms his FIP fairly regularly, though, and I think we can take the low-ish WAR with a grain of salt. Fried limits damage and has had a sparkling start to his Yankees career even if some regression is coming.
Best MLB bonuses
All Users
Get a no-sweat home run bet every day!
Bet Now
See our DraftKings sportsbook review
New Users
Get a no-sweat first bet
Up to $1,500! Claim Now
See our BetMGM sportsbook review!
Eligible USA locations only. Also, see our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2025.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Odds to win NL Cy Young award 2025
| Player | |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
 Paul Skenes |
+275 | +280 | +275 |
 Yoshinobu Yamamoto |
+310 | +360 | +325 |
 Hunter Greene |
+650 | +1100 | +650 |
 Zack Wheeler |
+700 | +550 | +700 |
 Logan Webb |
+1000 | +1200 | +1100 |
 Michael King |
+1500 | +1500 | +1500 |
 Kodai Senga |
+2000 | +2000 | +2000 |
| Jesus Luzardo |
+2000 | +2500 | +2200 |
| Cristopher Sanchez |
+2500 | +4000 | +3300 |
 Freddy Peralta |
+3000 | +2500 | +2800 |
| Clay Holmes |
+3500 | +10000 | +6000 |
 Spencer Schwellenbach |
+3500 | +3600 | +3500 |
 MacKenzie Gore |
+4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Nick Pivetta |
+4000 | +3600 | +4000 |
| Robbie Ray |
+4500 | +7000 | +6000 |
| Dylan Cease |
+4500 | +12000 | +5000 |
| Chris Sale |
+5500 | +7000 | +5000 |
 Sonny Gray |
+6500 | +8000 | +6000 |
Odds as of 5-13-2025.
NL Cy Young analysis
You can quibble with WAR, but it is an effective shorthand, especially when ERA doesn't tell the whole story. Zack Wheeler and Logan Webb each have relatively high ERAs compared to some of the eye-popping numbers exhibited by their peers.
Wheeler had a rough two-start stretch where he allowed nine earned runs over 11 1/3 innings in early April. In five starts since, he's allowed eight runs in 33 2/3 innings (2.14 ERA), finishing six innings each time, culminating with a seven-shutout-inning performance against the Guardians.
He's made adjustments.
Zack Wheeler’s last 4 starts—
— Joseph Cammisa (@jcammisabsbl) May 11, 2025
2.70 ERA / 2.67 FIP / 0.83 WHIP / 38 K / 3BB / .194 BAA / 34.4 K-BB%
Notable changes—
-Velo increased all across the board
-Sinker usage decreased from 16.2% to 10.4%
-Splitter usage increased from 9.1% to 12.5%pic.twitter.com/OKsbCxIywz
Webb has one bad start, two middling outings, and six where he's allowed two or fewer runs while pitching at least six innings. If Webb made all his starts at Oracle Park, he'd win this in a walk.
The reason I wanted to highlight these two veteran right-handers is that they lead the NL in innings pitched and can be expected to be there at season's end. These guys provide length in an era where that has been less and less common.
Now, Paul Skenes is third in IP because he's finished six innings in seven of his nine starts and seems to be the newest member of that class of hurler.
Covers MLB betting tools
Cy Young betting splits
AL Cy Young
Highest Ticket%
- Garrett Crochet, Red Sox - 9.3%
- Cole Ragans, Royals - 9.2%
- Tarik Skubal, Tigers - 8.4%
Highest Handle%
- Garrett Crochet, Red Sox - 13.5%
- Tarik Skubal, Tigers - 11.6%
- Cole Ragans, Royals - 10.1%
Biggest Liability
- Cole Ragans, Royals
NL Cy Young
Highest Ticket%
- Paul Skenes, Pirates - 10%
- Zack Wheeler, Phillies - 8.8%
- Hunter Greene, Reds - 8%
Highest Handle%
- Paul Skenes, Pirates - 15%
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers - 11.3%
- Zack Wheeler, Phillies - 7.4%
Biggest Liability
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Data courtesy of BetMGM.
Previous Cy Young Award winners
Here are the last 10 winners of the AL and NL Cy Young Award, with Cleveland and the New York Mets each leading the way with three. Overall, the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have the most Cy Youngs all time (12), followed by the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves with eight and the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Mets with seven apiece.
Previous AL Cy Young winners
| Year | American League Winner |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Tarik Skubal |
| 2023 | Gerrit Cole |
| 2022 | Justin Verlander |
| 2021 |  Robbie Ray |
| 2020 |  Shane Bieber |
| 2019 | Justin Verlander |
| 2018 |  Blake Snell |
| 2017 | Corey Kluber |
| 2016 | Rick Porcello |
| 2015 | Dallas Keuchel |
Previous NL Cy Young winners
| Year | National League Winner |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Chris Sale |
| 2023 | Blake Snell |
| 2022 |  Sandy Alcantara |
| 2021 |  Corbin Burnes |
| 2020 | Trevor Bauer |
| 2019 | Jacob deGrom |
| 2018 | Jacob deGrom |
| 2017 | Max Scherzer |
| 2016 | Max Scherzer |
| 2015 |  Jake Arrieta |
Pitchers with multiple Cy Young awards
Twenty-two pitchers have won multiple Cy Young Awards, led by Roger Clemens' seven trophies. Of those 22 winners, five are still active in the majors.
| Pitcher | Number of Cy Young Awards (Years) |
|---|---|
| Roger Clemens | 7 (1986, 1987, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004) |
| Randy Johnson | 5 (1995, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) |
| Steve Carlton | 4 (1972, 1977, 1980, 1982 |
| Greg Maddux | 4 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995) |
| Seven different pitchers | 3 |
| 11 different pitchers | 2 |
Popular MLB futures markets
MLB Cy Young Odds
Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal is again favored after winning the award in 2024.
Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Paul Skenes is drawing the shortest odds after finishing as a finalist in 2024 and winning NL Rookie of the Year.
Detroit Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal was unanimously named AL Cy Young while veteran Atlanta Braves LHP Chris Sale won in the NL.
Roger Clemens won seven Cy Young awards throughout his career. Only one other pitcher, Randy Johnson, has even won five.
Jacob deGrom won both the 2018 and 2019 NL Cy Young awards. Immediately before him, Max Scherzer won in back-to-back seasons in 2016-17.
